Faith Kearns, Ph.D.
@fkearns.bsky.social
Scientist writing about humans, water, wildfire, climate, and disaster in Arizona and California | views=mine
"As of May, FEMA has pushed out over 6,400 employees since President Donald Trump took office last year." It also cut many FEMA contractors who supported those offices. My colleagues and I at the FEMA Climate Resilience Integration Branch (RIP) were among them.
Natalie Alms@almsnatalie.bsky.social · 20h agoAmong the ways that FEMA is flying blind here -- it hasn’t conducted workforce planning the 2026 hurricane season. www.notus.org/agencies/fem...
“he observed one speaker comparing his experience promoting data centers to counter-insurgency tactics the speaker used during military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as “going undercover in bars and churches to gauge a community’s potential for resistance to a data center development.”
Justin Hendrix@justinhendrix.bsky.social · 4h agoAs opposition to data centers grows across the United States, the tech industry is "pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks" to bypass it, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni—from nonprofit front groups to super PACs to tightly managed public forums.
"This can only continue as long as their is enough ice. In just 24 years, Swiss glaciers have lost about 38% of their volume. And over the past 50 years about 1,200 smaller glaciers have disappeared completely." "If global warming continues, only small remnants of ice will remain by the year 2100"
Record-breaking snowmelt in the Swiss Alps
Extreme heat is taking a toll on the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Experts warn that melting is starting earlier and becoming more severe, with far-reaching consequences for the environment and water su...
dw.com
“Employees who voiced honest, informed objections to AI in the workplace were passed over for promotions or targeted for layoffs.”
T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦@tryangregory.bsky.social · 5h ago
Something that keeps happening: I find an amazing article and look up the author who conducted the analyses (distinct from the author who was PI or senior author, BTW), and the vast majority of the time, said author is precariously employed at the institution listed on the publication.
A new report says arcing from electrical equipment owned by the utility sparked the January 2025 fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes (via LAist).
Edison equipment caused deadly Eaton Fire, LA County Fire investigators conclude
A new report says arcing from electrical equipment owned by the utility sparked the January 2025 fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
n.pr
GGRF unlocked. A federal appeals court ruled EPA cannot block roughly $20B in already-awarded GGRF grants based on a policy disagreement. If it stands, this is a major step toward getting long-delayed capital into affordable housing, building retrofits, community solar.
EPA cannot block billions in climate grants, US appeals court rules
A federal appeals court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot freeze about $20 billion of clean energy grants awarded to several nonprofit groups, handing a defeat to the Trump adminis...
reuters.com
Data centers have become one of the U.S.'s most potent political flashpoints, uniting coalitions on the left and right like few issues do. We sent @mollytaft.com on a journey into the data center resistance. The Unabomber, Steve Bannon’s tech guy, and Bernie Sanders made appearances along the way:
How Data Centers Broke American Politics
What the Unabomber, Steve Bannon’s tech guy, and Bernie Sanders taught me about the great data center backlash of 2026.
wired.com
If you are an expert on air quality and have 10-15 minutes to talk to me today or tomorrow about important things journalists should know while reporting on wildfires and smoke, my DMs are open, or you can email me at karen at OpenNews dot org.
This wasn't on my adaptation bingo card. "Romania used 180kg explosive to blow rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor
Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output
theguardian.com
California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust, @ianjames.bsky.social reports: www.latimes.com/environment/...
California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust
According to a new report, California groundwater regulations threaten to put many small farms out of business.
latimes.com
The presidents of WashU, Arizona State, Kansas, and Johns Hopkins, in concert with the Association of American Universities, helped draft a new version of last year's White House compact. “We’d much rather be a partner than play the guessing game as we have been,” Kansas' president told Bloomberg.
Trump Has Released a New ‘Call to Action’ for Universities. 4 College Presidents Helped Draft It.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter Monday imploring colleges to adopt a series of familiar-sounding reforms — this time, in partnership with leaders in the Association of American Univers...
chronicle.com
Buckle down in southern AZ today (Aug 3rd). A rare yellow hatched "slight" from Storm Prediction Center. Thunderstorms this afternoon will be capable of 75+ MPH outflow wind gusts. Flash flooding also possible. #azwx #monsoon #monsoon2026
Nine Michigan water systems reported cyber attacks. “All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern..." www.mlive.com/news/2026/08...
Michigan reports cyberattacks on water systems, FBI investigates
Michigan has joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on water systems, but an official said all were operating “safely.”
mlive.com
The emergency response to Spokane fires has been exemplary and heroic. We also need to remember this isn’t the limit of our ability to reduce wildfire risk. After 100 years of strict fire suppression, millions of acres of WA forest need fuel reduction treatments like prescribed fire & thinning.
Barry Geraghty@bgeraght.bsky.social · 3d agoHere’s the thing that frightens me. Everyone executed their roles almost perfectly in the response to these fires and it was still this bad. Everyone. Responders, city, county and fed officials. Detection and warning systems. Everyone did their jobs very well. This was a best case outcome.
Best recommendations for viewing active wildfires across the globe?
Krunchie@foxyvalli.bsky.social · 3d agoIs there a resource for seeing what active wildfires are happening on a global scale?
For interested folks, I created a wildfire experts list from my old starter pack. I also know a lot of new people have joined Bluesky since I last updated it, so let me know if you’re an expert who would like to be added bsky.app/profile/did:...
I don’t say this lightly or hardly ever but this is triggering.
The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 3d agoRep. Max Miller: "My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day, I assaulted her…If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?"
England received only 7% of the long-term average rainfall for July. Southern England, just 1%. Factoid: There has been a weather station in Kew Gardens for 155 years. This July was the first month ever to record 0mm of rain. Tomorrow, London will again hit 30C+ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
July set to be driest on record for England and Wales after relentless heatwaves
Climate scientist urges better planning as southern England had just 1% of long-term average rainfall last month
theguardian.com
“The climate emergency kills,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday in the midst of devastating wildfires. “…What we have to do is reduce its causes, anticipate its effects, &, consequently, better prepare our country to protect people’s lives.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Climate change kills’: Pedro Sánchez speaks plain truth to Spain’s deniers
PM has long history of speaking out on realities of global heating but political opponents remain unnmoved
theguardian.com
What is even happening anymore One of my first science communication projects (three full decades ago) was a brief about how we know what we know about Lyme disease origins and spread from long term ecological research
Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 3d agoRFK told Dana Bash that Lyme disease “almost certainly” came from gain of function research. Which is utterly false. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
Not sure which hurts worse this morning: the fact that 600+ families just lost their home, or the knowledge that this will only keep happening in a warming world.
Alexandra (Alex) Duggan@alexdugganreports.bsky.social · 3d agoThe front page of this morning’s Spokesman-Review, Aug. 2, 2026, the day after one of the worst wildfires in Washington state history. More than 600 structures, mostly homes, have been lost in the #OldTrailsFire. Read local news.
I’ve been a part of online wildfire conversations for decades at this point. There is a real shift around these fires happening now - lots more people, including those directly impacted, saying we must stop climate change. A lot of folks locally talking about data centers, some about class/housing.
Everything is on fire. It's cold here. The sky is grey. The birds are chirping. Everything is on fire yet I still must go to work. Yesterday was the busiest day in a long time at the restaurant. I don't know what to do. I have to go cook. #spokane #wildFires
More than 600 (likely homes) burned in and around Spokane County yesterday. The devastation is incomprehensible www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
Wildfire in northwest Spokane destroys 640 structures
The Old Trails wildfire in northwest Spokane destroyed 640 structures Saturday, according to Cody Rohrbach, Spokane County Fire District 3 fire chief.
spokesman.com
– Assistant Fire Chief Dahl: Use County’s evacuation map. City had placed a strike team preemptively, before the fire. 20 city rigs and crews out on the fire. Don’t use sprinklers unless absolutely necessary (water system pressure issues).
This is “one of the most catastrophic events we've seen in our lifetime here in Spokane," KHQ anchor @KHQSean says, noting it's impossible to know many homes have already burned. Now it's sunset. "Tomorrow morning is going to be devastating for our community," @KHQLeslie says.”
Rima I Anabtawi@rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 3d agoHarrowing scenes on Spokane's local TV stations tonight – as thousands of structures are threatened by fast-moving fires – here are some of the live streams KHQ: khq.com/live/ KXLY: kxly.com KREM: krem.com/watch H/T to @brianstelter.bsky.social
